Chapter 67

I woke up in Ethan’s arms. Our bare skin pressed together, radiating heat and keeping me warm without the cover of blankets. I guess we kicked them off at some point last night.

Sun pours in from the open curtains of my room, filtering through my eyelids and stirring me even further awake. I tried to shift or stretch, but Ethan’s grip around my waist tightened. He nuzzled his nose deeper into the crook between my neck and shoulder, grumbling softly.

His voice vibrated against my skin, causing shivers to run along my back.

“Don’t get up,” He murmured into my neck. His voice alone was able to elicit butterflies in my stomach. That pull that I felt last night, the attraction to him, stirred in my abdomen again.

“Don’t you have work today?” I stroked his hair, smoothing out the spots that were sticking up from sleep.

“I don’t have to show up if I don’t want to. I want to stay here,” He propped his chin up on my shoulder so he could look me in the eyes. “I have better ways to spend my morning than with Tristan at a meeting.”

I caught the inflection of his words, noticed the way his eyes shifted to my uncovered body, and the smirk that played on his lips. I knew what he was aiming for, and suddenly I had the urge to capture his lips on my own.

I wanted to be as close to him as possible, wanted to feel his body against mine, revel in the warmth radiating from his skin.

“Are you sure you won't be missed?” I asked, lips parted and panting slightly.

Ethan rolled over so that he was hovering over me, peering down at me with his icy blue eyes.

“Nothing could make me leave this bed at this moment,” He narrowed his eyes at me playfully, “Not unless you want me to.”

There was a question there, I could tell. I shook my head, not wanting him to leave, and bit my bottom lip as I gazed up at him.

I nodded my head, giving him an answer. Ethan launched an assault against the skin of my neck with his lips.

He trailed hot kisses down my throat and against my collar bone. Every now and then he'd graze his teeth against the sensitive flesh and bite lightly.

“Ethan,” I breathed his name, eliciting a growl to rumble in his chest.

“Please,” He begged against my throat. “I need you.”

I couldn't help the whine that escaped my mouth at his words. Ethan, in all his intimidating, alpha power and strength, was begging me.

“Okay,” I moaned when I felt his tongue dart against a particularly sensitive bite mark.

He didn't need any more clarification than that. He positioned himself so that his arms were on either side of my head. He slotted his hips between my thighs, bare skin rubbing against my most sensitive parts.

“You're mine, aren't you?” Ethan looked into my eyes as he lined himself up properly.

I nodded my head, but he glared at me light heartedly.

“No, I need you to say it.” He was so close, tantalizingly close.

“I'm yours.” I gasped as he thrust his hips forward, stretching me against him.

--

We didn't leave the bedroom until the afternoon. There was no reason for us to. Ethan didn't go to work, and I was content spending the entire morning beneath him in bed.

I saw stars more times that morning than I think I ever did in all of my life looking up at the night sky.

We went into the kitchen to get some food, Mars and Olivia were in there having lunch.

They looked up from their plates on the table and gave us long, knowing looks.

“You two sure seemed to sleep in,” Olivia commented with a smirk, taking a sip of her drink.

Her eyes sparkled at me over the glass, humor dancing in her irises.

“Based on the noises I heard,” Mars leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, “I don't think they were sleeping at all.”

A dark, crimson blush flooded my cheeks. I looked at Ethan, expecting to find him similarly embarrassed, but he had a giant smirk on his face.

“Does that mean you two are…?” Olivia's question trailed off, she looked between us like she wasn't sure how to phrase her question.

“No-” I started the same time Ethan said:

“Yes-”

We stopped to look at each other. Ethan and I didn't really talk about what was going to happen between us now.

Were we supposed to stay together? Was this a one time thing?

We were mates, but did that mean anything to Ethan? It should mean a lot, but powerful alphas didn’t always like to keep one woman around.

It must have. I didn't know, I learned that I could never really assume what Ethan was thinking.

“We are married, I guess.” I looked to Ethan, choosing the words carefully.

Ethan's eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at me, I could see the questions running through his mind displayed perfectly on his face.

“Yes, we've been married.” Ethan shook his head, silently asking me what I was talking about.

“It's just,” I whispered to him, quietly so that only he could hear. “What are we doing as a couple? Are we a couple?”

Ethan regarded me for a moment, staring into my eyes and wondering whether he should answer - or rather how he should answer. I contemplated what else I should say to him. I didn’t want to have this conversation in front of people.

I didn’t know if Mars already knew about our fake, arranged marriage. Ethan always made it seem like it would be the worst thing in the world if anyone found out. I understood that to an extent - but I wanted to know what to do now that we were mates.

Did Ethan even love me? Or was everything just because he found out we are mates?

Mars and Olivia glanced at each other with a smirk.

“Do you two want some more alone time?” Olivia giggled, pushing herself away from the table to get up. Mars followed suit, shaking his head.

“Well,” Ethan stated before the two of them left the room, “We were going to get divorced after a year. Now we aren’t.”

Olivia and Mars stopped in their tracks.

“What?” Olivia looked between Ethan and I, her eyes wide.

“Ethan-” I said in a low, warning tone. “What are you doing?”

“I’m announcing that I love you, and that we are going to stay together after our contract has ended.” Ethan smiled at me, all proud of himself.

“What contract?” Mars questioned, looking between Ethan and I.

“I didn’t want to tell anyone so our marriage seemed real, but now that Ava and I are mates and love each other-”

Ethan’s voice started to sound slow and watered. A rush of fear jolted my heart as he talked to Mars and Olivia. They watched us with both confusion and concern. I’d never felt more embarrassed in my life.

Ethan only loved me now that he knew we were mates. If it weren’t for my wolf, he wouldn’t have considered me attractive to him.

The shame and embarrassment flooded from the top of my head to my toes. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know how to react.

I dropped the plate I was holding and ran up the stairs to the bathroom in my room.

The glass plate shattered against the tile floor, grazing my bare foot and slicing the top open.

I didn’t care, I ran anyway.